There are different arguments whether should I give money to beggars or not. Some people will rather give some money to a charity organisation than to someone in the street. Let’s see what the best thing is to do.
There are many people who claim that they never give money to beggars for various reasons. Here are a few examples why:
- Homeless people are often alcoholic and drug addicts, so people do not want the fruit of their hard work to be spent on alcohol or drug
- Many people say homeless people should find a job and they should not beg
- In some countries, children are crippled and forced to work as beggars by begging mafia (link), but many people do not want to support criminals
- Some people pretend to be disabled or homeless and they are begging on busy streets. They may earn more than those who have a proper job (link 1-UK, link 2-USA)
For these reasons, there are many people who would rather do a voluntary work and donate their money to charity. Charities are organisations set up to provide help and raise money for those in need. Many charities are struggling to survive and they are working hard on helping people in need.
BUT, not all charities are like that. The charity sector guidance is unclear and complex, so according to my sources, many big charities are part of a multi-million-pound industry, where charity CEOs receive huge payments. Here are a few examples from various reliable sources what some big charities do:
The Great British rake-off… what really happens to the billions YOU donate to charity: Fat cat pay, appalling waste and hidden agendas; Read more about this in: Daily Mail Online
David Craig reveals the truth about Britain’s charity industry in his book: The Great Charity Scandal: What really happens to the billions we give to good causes?
There is another source about 10 Horrible Facts About Charities. For me, the most shocking part of this post was that it has been discovered that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) killed nearly 96 percent of the animals turned into their headquarters. Read more about this case in Daily Mail Online.
The WordPress blog called Charity Watch UK published the top 10 charities income (which is huge). On this page, there is a big collection of posts how some charities are aggressive in their fund-raising effort and how they waste donators’ money
The sad fact is that most of the people still trust charities and they are proud that they can support them. Many people trust charities so blindly; they are so convinced that ‘their’ charity is spotless that nobody can convince them on the opposite.
Actually, charities are not so bad in every country, but in many countries are even worse. I have two personal stories about charitable organisations from central Europe.
I was a member of a local political party and on one occasion a few years ago, just before the Christmas holidays we visited a local kindergarten and we were sharing presents for children. The local media were present as well. The following year we did not do any charitable act, so I asked the party leader why we did not go to the kindergarten to share presents. The answer was short, but shocking ‘because reporters are not coming’. It proves, that party was not altruistic at all, they were sharing presents for children to increase their popularity in the local media.
In my family, there is someone who is an obsessed car boot seller. On one occasion, he asked me to go with him to do some business with a rich gipsy family in a remote village. After a few hours of travelling, we arrived at a huge house with expensive cars in the courtyard. The gipsy family invited us in the house. One room was full of second-hand clothes for sale. They told us that they are a registered charity. They managed to buy cheap second-hand clothes from Germany and they did not pay taxes because they are a Roma charity group. They usually sell 90% of the stock and they keep the money for themselves. The rest 10% of the clothes (that cannot be sold because they are useless) they give to poor relatives.
So Giving or Not Giving that is still the question. Should I give money to beggars or not? Should we give to a beggar who might spend our money on drugs or should we give to a charity which may use our money to invest in the stock market?
The Answer is That
By Giving, You Cannot Make a Mistake
- Giving is always a good action and we are not responsible for the actions of those who receive our action
- We should be responsible for our behaviour and we need to give a good example
- If some others are selfish and corrupt it does not mean we need to be the same
- Support and help provide hope for depressed and for addicted people that can help their recovery
- Those who live on the street, they are not only hungry for food, but for a connection and for a few nice words, which does not cost money
- If you believe in karma, you know what you should do
“It is more blessed to give than to receive”
“You reap what you sow”
Yet, it is the best to give in person. If you want to give some money to a charity then it is the best to find a small local charity group where you know where your money goes.
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